Moderating Effect of Meanings-Made on the Relationship Between Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Life Events and Suicidal Ideation. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Basu, Natasha; Schuler, Kaitlyn R.; Marie, Laura; Taylor, Sarah E.; Fadoir, Nicholas A.; Smith, Phillip N.
• Is Part Of: Illness, crisis & loss. Volume 30:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 192
• Page End: 208
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: suicidal ideation -- meanings-made -- trauma exposure; Bereavement -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Sick -- Psychology -- Periodicals; Death -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Loss (Psychology) -- Periodicals; Terminal care -- Periodicals; 155.937
• DOI: 10.1177/1054137319898333
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1054-1373

Abstract

A majority of people experience potentially traumatic events but only a subsection develop negative psychological outcomes such as suicidal ideation. As these events may impact existing life-orienting systems, meaning-making processes are utilized to either assimilate new experiences into existing frameworks or revise existing schemas to accommodate novel incidents. The extent to which efficient meaning-making has occurred or the degree to which the events are integrated may be associated with the development of suicidal ideation. Therefore, this study investigated meanings-made as a moderator of the association between exposure to potentially traumatic life events and suicidal ideation. A total of 568 undergraduate students ( M age = 19.85 years, 69.4% females) completed the online questionnaires. The analyses indicated a significant moderation supporting the hypothesis. The results highlight meaning-making processes as a potential target for interventions directed at the reduction of suicide risk, particularly in individuals exposed to traumatic events.